The topwater bite at Smith, explained Vines, is brought on by with warmer water temperatures. “After a week of unseasonably warm weather,” he noted, “the change in water temperature triggers the bait to move up and the stripers follow. They start moving shallow when the water temperature hits 50 to 51 degrees.

“As far as you can see down the lake, you will see fish jumping -- not fish after fish, but a group here and there.”

Initially, Alabama obtained Atlantic Coast striped bass fry or fingerlings from Georgia and South Carolina for stocking. At the time, biologists were unaware that two separate types of stripers existed, the other being the Gulf Coast strain. Having discovering this, they concentrated on saving the native subspecies.

Vines also reported catching more than 50 fish on several different trips, but, he said, the numbers can vary greatly depending on weather and water conditions. “If a heavy rain muddies the water,” he offered, “you must move to a part of the lake where the water is clearer and fishable. Stripers do hold near the dam, but the schools are smaller.”

To book a guided striped bass trip on Smith Lake, call Bill Vines at (205) 647-7683 or see his Web site at www.stripefishingheadquarters.com.

Inland Lake
Guides refer to Cecil Williams as “the guide’s guide.” He fishes as often as a full-time guide and is always willing to share information with them.

Last February, Williams caught a 40-pounder from 1,536-acre Inland Lake, which is surrounded by thousands of acres of undeveloped land. The year before, he watched as an even larger fish was fooled by one of his planer boards.

“Ricky Harris and I were fishing with planer boards and downlines when two planer boards went down at the same time,” he recalled. “We each reached for a rod. While Ricky was fighting his fish, I put the lines back out and caught four more fish. His striper weighed 46 pounds, 9 ounces.”

Often Williams sets his lines out at the boat ramp, which is at the end of Boat Landing Road off State Route 75 near Allgood. “Most of the time,” he said, “I launch my boat, put my trolling motor down and set out two free lines, two planer boards and two downlines. Then I ease down the bank toward the upper end of the lake. The only difference in fish location on the upper end of the lake in winter is that the fish might be in open water instead of tight against the bank.”

Williams describes planer boards as “killer” on Inland Lake, as they don’t spook big fish in the clear water. To make sure, he clips the board on the line 42 to 50 feet above the shad.

On an average morning of fishing, Williams catches a dozen fish weighing 7 to 13 pounds. His best catch was 50 fish.

For current fishing information, call Cecil Williams on his cell at (205) 527-9281 or office at (205) 669-9181. Williams does book some guide trips, but fishing is his passion, not his job.

Lake Martin
Jim Parramore sees more anglers fishing for striped bass in winter than at any other time. He attributes the increase to two factors: huge schools of fish, and the stripers’ willingness to attack artificial lures.

When it comes to locating the big schools, Parramore pointed out, there’s no best place to fish. He uses his sonar to search around the islands and on the edges of gavel and sandbars from Madwind Creek all the way down lake through the narrows to the dam. Anglers are also successful on the upper sections of creeks.

Guides Bill Vines -- Smith Lake -- and Jim Parramore -- Lake Martin -- agree that cold temperatures energize Gulf Coast stripers, but add that it’s not necessary to get an early start in the morning, as these fish bite all day.

While his sonar paints Martin’s depths, Parramore divides his attention between its screen and the skies; the second he scans for feeding gulls. “While resting on a sandbar,” Parramore explained, “the gulls send out a scout to search for shad. If successful, he will return and alert the others. As the gulls take flight, follow them -- they give the fish away every time.”

According to Parramore, the fish in these big schools, which may cover a few acres, usually weigh 10 to 14 pounds. If you want to catch the larger solitary fish, move away from the center of activity to the outer edge of the school and use the same half-ounce bucktail jig.

It’s hard to leave a school to work the edge, but, the striper guide suggested, you could catch a monster.

At other times, Parramore watches schools surface momentarily and then descend. Quick to seize the opportunity, he lowers small shad on downlines to within a few feet of the active fish. By means of this maneuver, he and his clients caught 54 fish in one day.

To learn more about striped bass fishing on Lake Martin, or to book a day of guided angling, contact Jim Parramore at (205) 533-3664 or (205) 699-3247.